Device for and method of forming joints in road construction



Filed Feb. 15, 1930 W. 5. EDGE DEVICE FOR AND METHOD OF FORMING JOINTS IN ROAD' CONSTRUCTION 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 3 3I "0= 1 1 a; M 47 4 I '/7 4O 39 9 8 39 INVENTOR TION W. 8. EDGE July 17, 1934;

DEVICE FOR AND METHOD OF FORMING JOINTS IN ROAD CONSTRUC 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 15

, m w m g a 9 :1 w 5 WHY, a 4 m INVENTOR Patented July 17, 1934 DEVICE FOR, AND METHOD 70F FORMING JOINTS IN ROAD CONSTRUCTION Walter S. Edge, Pittsburgh, 'Pa., as signor to Pittsburgh Steel Company, Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application February 15, 1930, Serial No. 428,684

10 Claims.

My invention relates to an improvement inthe apparatus for installing flexible material in concrete roads or structures of a similar nature where it is desirable to install-the joint 1 I and finish the surfacewhile'the road material still soft. This application constitutes, in part. a continuation of my ccpending application, Serial No. 326,117;filedijDecember 14. 1928, (now Patent-No. 1,916,563)

It finds a particular application inthe construction of part depth joints 'inconcrete pavements as now constructed.

It not only facilitates-the installation of joint material such as precast asphalt, paper, etc., which do not possess very great rigidity but permits of a much more rapid and satisfactory fin ishing operation and enables the joint material to be rigidly supported during the finishing operation which is not possible by any other means at present known to me. I

The method for installing precast asphalt or paper joints which has; been formerly. used by me is to employ a gage or guide consisting of two parallel members separatedslightly more than the thickness of the material to be installed. The gage is placed over the point where it was desired to install the joint and, a slot having been previously out in the concrete at this point (or the slot may be cut by working through the gage itself), the joint material is then installed through the gage and the latter removed. Next the concrete adjacent to the joint must be finished or smoothed and although the joint, when first installed may be perfectly straight, the finishing operation is very .apt to disturb it, requiring constant, checking on the part of, the operator. a g.

Myinvention, by providinga firm support to the joint during the finishing process is a decided improvement over former apparatus and enables the workmen to do their work with greater ease and rapidity. Itmay'be used as a movable gage or tool but itfinds its greatestusefulness in combination with a movable finishing bridge carried on wheels which are adapted to run on the road forms at either side of the road slab being cast. I e

In order that my invention may be more easily understood reference is had to the following drawings in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of one form'of my gage showing the device separated from the bridge to which it designed .to be fastened. Figure 2 is a plan view of the'same device and'Figure 3 is a cross section showing both guidesin position as. they would. be in use.

joints or. joint Figure 4 is a similar view showing the left hand guide raised out of the way while-the right hand guide rests on the concrete surface and is backing up or supporting a section of precast asphalt joint which has just been installed. Figure 5 is a sectional elevation of another form of guide mounted on a finishing bridge for movement along the road under construction. Figure 6 is partial plan view of-the same device while Figure '7 is a section illustrating the method of use. In the device shown, Figure 1-4 the guides aremovable individually and arelifted up and swung back out of the way. In the device shownFigures 5-7 they are moved back horizontally. Each method has itsadvantages depending upon what 70, it is desired to-accomplish. v 7

Figure 8,i11ustrates a method of combining a cutting blade with my guide in such a way that the blade interlocks with it and will be carried forward as the bridge advances.- The guide can be removed half at a time and the surface may be finished on either side. At the rear end of the blade is provided a hole 41 or other suitable'corr nection to permit another blade or a series of trailing blades to be connected to it if desired.

Figure 9 shows details of theblade used. Figure 10 shows a special form of angle guide which is useful in installing flexible joints especially paper which has very little lateral strength. Figure 11 shows two such guides in use with a precast asphalt joint." Figure 12 shows the same arrangement being used with a paper joint. Figures 13-24 illustrate the method of using my de vice in installing and finishing flexible joints. Figure 13 shows the cutter either disc wheel, blade or hand tool used to reopen the .mortar joint formed by an attachment on the finishing machine or otherwise, or as shown in my Patent No. 1,778,451, for example. Figure 14 shows the general character of'the openjoint left bythe cutter. Figure 15 illustrates the installation of the asphalt joint which may be tapped into the open joint with a wooden finishers float. Figure 16 shows this joint strip inserted. Figure 17 illustrates the first step in finishing a joint using my device. Figure 18 illustrates the nextstep. Figure 19 shows the jointinstalledand finished and Figure 20 shows the completed work with the pro jecting top of the joint sheared off.

Fig. 21 shows a modification of the guide device of Fig. 11; Fig. 21a shows still another form of guide device for supporting a joint strip; Fig. 22 ,is illustrativeof the manner in which the concrete may be finished at one side of a paper joint strip;

Fig 23 shows the finishing of the opposite side thereof; Fig. 24 shows the joint after the concrete has been smoothed, and Fig. 25 shows the joint with filling material filling the space at the upper edge of the paper strip.

The method which I commonly employ when using this form of gage is as follows: As the finishingbridge which carries the device is provided with double flanged wheels on one side it will automatically position the guide over the centre line of the road or any other desired position. The joint is cut open as shown in Figures 13 and 14 by a cutter attached to the bridge, by a hand tool or by any other means desired. Then the joint material is inserted. in the joint and forced down the means employed depending upon the nature of the joint material. A precast asphalt joint shown in Figures 16 and 17 and a paper joint in Figures 22 and 23. The cutting and installing the joint leave the surface slightly disturbed for an inch or two either side of the joint. Next one half the gage is brought up in position immediately adjacent to the joint as shown at 28 in Figure 17 and 10 in Figure 22 and the surface on the opposite side of the joint is smoothed down by using a finishing fioat (45) or other suitable means. This half of the gage is then removed and the opposite half is then brought up in contact with the other side of the joint and the remaining half is finished leaving the result as shown in Figure 19. In the case of the paper joint or wherever the special guide 10 is used it may be employed to produce the rounded corners alongside the joint as shown in Figure 23.

A joint of this type requires sealing of the top by pouring with tar or other suitable material. By the simple expedient of making the two halves of the guide movable independently of each other I am enabled to largely remove the human element from the finishing of these joints.

Another modification of this idea is shown in Figures 8 and 9. Here I employ the movable guide shown in Figures 1-4 in the construction of joints which are to be filled with a liquid filler.

, In this case I employ a cutting blade which fits in between the guides and may project slightly above their top as shown in Figure 8. This blade is arranged to interlock with the guide if desired but may be released so that the bridge may be moved forward or backwards without disturbing it. There is also provided a hole 41 or other connection to which may be connected one or more trailing plates if desired. The method of operating this modification of my device is as follows: With the guides locked to the blade the bridge is moved forward over the soft concrete a distance somewhat less than its length and as it does so the blade cleaves the concrete. Then one half the gage is removed and that side of the blade is finished. Next the other half of the gage is rei moved and the remaining side is finished. This process is continued as the work progresses and it is possible to disconnect the bridge from the blade at any time to move the bridge back to give the joint a final finish, to pour the joint with liquid filler or for any other purpose. It will be observed that the top of the blade 39 is above the top of the concrete surface 47 (Figure 8) and that therefore the finishing operation is necessarily parallel to the blade or to the joint where a joint is being installed. By this very simple method a very excellent joint is formed and the finishing operations so far as the joint is concerned are confined to one bridge so that one laborer can handle the entire operation.

The cross arm 2'7 is in turn fastened to a vertiwheels adapted to run on the road forms at either side, 33, 33 are trusses of the bridge frame and 49 is a longitudinal frame member. The vertical supporting members 26 shown in Figures 5 and '7 are connected to the trusses 33 which span the road and are provided with vertical and latral adjustment.

.By referring to Figures 6 and '7 it will be seen that the gage members 28 are supported at either end by hooked plates 36 which rest and are free to slide on the cross arm 27. Their motion in each case is controlled at either end by a toggle arrangement consisting of two links, 34 and 35 which in turn are correspondingly connected at their common connection by a lifting rod 37. By moving this rod 37 on either side of the gage the section of that half of the gage is controlled simultaneously at both ends and thathalf of the gage is moved either towards or away from the joint. Figure 7 illustrates this device in use in finishing a precast asphalt joint.

Another form which mydevice may take is shown in Figure 21. Here the guide members are narrow in relation to their height and while they are stifi enough to align and support the joint they offer very slight obstruction to a view of the joint from-above so that it is possible to finish the joint with both guides in position. In this case the guide may be either movable independently or as a unit or one may be capable of limited movement with respect to the other. Another form which the guide may .take is shown in Figure 21A where the bottom of the guide is simply recessed to fit over the joint and support it during finishing. These special forms of guides may be mounted in a similar manner to those previously described.

Having thus described my invention what I claim is:

1. In concrete road construction a guide for the construction of joints consisting of two parallel members positioned parallel and adjacent to either side of the joint each half being arranged for motion, independently, at right angles to its longitudinal axis.

2. In concrete road construction a slotted guide for the construction of joints consisting of two members whose width or thickness is much less than their depth, means for positioning them in overlapping relationship with joint material installed in the road, and mounted for movement parallel to the joint.

3. The method of constructing joints in concrete roadways which consists in cleaving through soft concrete, depositing a strip of joint material in the cleft, supporting the top of the strip by exterior means and finishing the surface adjacent to the joint while it is thus supported.

4. The method of constructing joints in concrete roadways which consists in depositing a strip of joint material in the soft concrete, providing supporting means to support and align the top of the joint strip and finishing the surface adjacent thereto. 7

5. The method of constructing joints in concrete roadways which consists in depositing a strip of joint material in the soft concrete and finishing the surface on either side of the joint while it is supported on the opposite side.

6. The method of constructing joints in concrete roadways which consists in cleaving the soft concrete depositing joint material in the cleft and supporting and aligning the top of the joint material during the finishing of the surface adjacent thereto.

7. The method of constructing joints in concrete roadways which consists in forming during the finishing a narrow band in the roadway in the location and of the depth desired, which contains only fine aggregate, cleaving this band on the line of the joint, inserting joint material in the cleft, providing means for aligning and supporting the joint and finishing the surface adjacent thereto.

8. The method of constructing joints in concrete roadways, which consists in depositing a strip of material in the soft concrete and smoothing the surface of the concrete in the vicinity of the strip by movement of a smoothing device in a direction parallel to said strip, the upper edge of the strip protruding from the surface of the concrete.

9. The method of constructing joints in concrete roadways which comprises inserting a strip in soft concrete and moving a fioat device over the surface of the concrete, in a direction parallel to said strip, and while in contact with the strip, the upper edge of the strip protruding from the surface of the concrete.

10. The method of constructing joints in concrete roadways which comprises forming a joint in the soft concrete, positioning an elongated guide member adjacent to and parallel with the line of the joint, and smoothing the surface of the concrete adjacent to the line of the joint in a direction parallel to the said guide member.

1 WALTER S. EDGE. 

